I know Shir is not seeing messages. but I want to put love to Shir and her family out in the world.

I learned this morning that an important mentor from my small town (the mom of a friend, but we had a separate relationship in my twenties, founding a community theatre together) passed away. She was on hospice, but still heart-wrenching. Her son, who was a misfit kid like me, was killed in a tragic accident sort of caused by him being fairly poorly treated and suspended for things that would today look like being neurodivergent when he was in 6th grade and I was in 8th. She was the misfit kid mentor in the late 80's early nineties- she took folks to Rocky Horror, hosted Dungeons and Dragons, and, yes, helped me set up a non-profit 501 (3) c when I was 19 to put on Godspell with my friends. Every nerd, neurodivergent, LGBTQ+ and other weirdo in my town was supported by her. She participated in local government She was also literally the only other mother my mom ever connected with in our whole town and my mom is a little older than she was, so I don;t want to tell my mom. As I was checking for more info about that on Facebook, I came across the Michelle Trachtenberg news. So, just a depressing day all around.

Funny story- Joanne (the late mentor) kept asking for her baby in the hospital, and her daughter Melyssa (my friend) had to keep explaining to the nurses that it wasn't her, it was her cat. Melyssa was able to find a good home for the cat with a friend, as Melyssa is in a non-cat apartment, so all is well with Pyewhacket, a beautiful tortie.